Allocation of Work and Transfer between Teams

All children deserve the best experiences in life. From excellent parenting which promotes good health and educational attainment, to a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and skills in order to have an enjoyable childhood and successful adult life. Stable homes, good health and support during transition are all essential elements, but children will only achieve their potential through the ambition and high expectation of those involved in their lives (The Children Act 1989: Guidance and Regulations. Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review).

The relationship between the social worker, child and their family is central to good care planning and positive outcomes for the child or young person. Whenever children are consulted, both locally and nationally, they overwhelmingly point out the importance to them of having a good relationship with a social worker they know and trust.

This chapter sets out the principles which should be used to guide decision making when transferring responsibility for children from one social worker or social work team to another.

See also Appendix 1: Checklist for Managers and Workers When Handover is Necessary or Unavoidable.

• The primary consideration in all transfer decisions and negotiations must be the needs and best interests of the child/young person and their family. Changes of worker must only occur for good reason or when unavoidable and must be recorded and evidenced as part of the child’s care plan;
• The number of changes will be kept to a minimum and wherever possible the child's wishes and feelings will be taken into account;
• It is essential to minimise the number of times children and family are required to tell their story, and the new worker must pay due attention to previous assessments and life events for the child and parents before engaging in work with them; the child and their families wishes should be taken into account;
• Where possible transfer of social worker should not be undertaken at the same time as other key events or transitions in a child's life. It should also be undertaken prior to key transitions to support planning and preparation;
• Transfer should not cause delay to social work intervention with families and should not cause delay in the progression of the child's care plan;
• Moving to dedicated teams builds on standards of good practice in the delivery of effective and efficient services for children, young people and their families. Assessments of all children, young people and their families should be undertaken in a timely way and be evidence based. All children and young people receiving a service should have a clear plan subject to their status i.e. Child in Need, child subject to a child protection plan or a cared for child;
• Until a child is formally transferred via ICS then the team still noted as responsible must ensure that all statutory requirements are met. Meeting children's needs and keeping them safe must not get overlooked when transferring between teams. The protocol must be used flexibly and with discretion between teams in order to provide high quality services for children and their families. This will involve professional judgement, assessment, cooperation and effective communication between managers and the teams they manage.

All contacts where there are concerns regarding a child's welfare or a consultation by any other agency about what to do when you are worried about a child, will go through the CCASS.

The CCASS will record all contacts received in ICS

The CCASS operates as a single access point for all contacts to Children's Social Care Teams. Contacts received to the Safeguarding Hub will reflect varying levels of need and risk and will require an appropriate and proportionate response.

All contacts are responded to within one working day when a decision is made to progress to further screening via a social worker or early help officer. This is determined by the level of risk or need identified in the referral.

All potential concerns about the immediate safety of a child will be assessed on the day generally within 3 hours and will be sent to the relevant district Support and Protect Team to undertake an urgent assessment and initiate a Strategy Discussion where necessary.

Child in Need concerns are dealt with by CCASS within 48 Hours and sent to the relevant team.

Others that are less urgent may be dealt with in 3 days

A contact to the CCASS may result in the following:

• No further action assessed as needed;
• Information and advice given;
• Early Help - Where a professional raises concerns about a child which appears suitable for early help (i.e. there is no Child Protection concern but there are additional needs that may well require a multi-agency response) the referrer will be asked to complete an assessment for early help;
• Child and Family Assessment – if an assessment is deemed necessary this will be sent to the relevant Children and Families Team to complete. The CCASS does not undertake assessments.

Requests from Courts for Section 7 and 37 Reports

Where such reports are requested from local authority by the courts:

• If the child is already open the allocated worker should complete the report;
• If the child is not open the Safeguarding Hub should accept it as a referral and pass any direction for S37 Reports to the relevant Support and Protection Team for completion. The Team should notify legal services;
• If the child is not open and there has been active intervention within the previous month of a request for a Section 7 Report then this should transfer to the team who last had the involvement, otherwise such reports are compiled by CAFCASS in accordance with national protocol.

Adoption and Permanence Related Contacts

• Applications for Child Arrangement Orders and Special Guardianship Orders:  If the child is currently Cared for by the Authority the matter will be dealt with by the team who has responsibility;
• If the child or young person is not already open, CCASS would be the first point of contact where the family should be advised to seek legal advice. Where a child is identified as being in need (S17) then Children Services Teams may have an involvement in private law proceedings.
  
  
• Non-agency Adoptions
  The initial referral should be taken CCASS who will then pass this to the Support and Protect Team who will deal with the request and undertake the assessment if deemed appropriate. If this is an application by a Foster Carer, it would normally be an agency adoption of a known child, and there would be a joint visit between the CLA team SW and the Adoption and Fostering Assessment Team to assess the viability of this.
  
  
• Overseas Adoptions
  There is a service level agreement with a voluntary agency in the North West and advice should be sought from the adoption advisor.
  
  
• Step Parent Adoptions
  Step parent adoption requests are transferred to the Support and Protect Team from the CCASS.
  
  
• Adoption Support
  If CCASS decides a contact may need the services of the Adoption Support team, then they will consult with the Team Manager Adoption Support to determine whether a specialist adoption assessment is required or whether to proceed by way of a single assessment. The Adoption Support Team will be responsible for undertaking the adoption support assessment if it is agreed an Adoption Support Service is required.
  
  
• Private Fostering
  Arrangements for private fostering are the responsibility of district Children's Services who will respond to private fostering situations either on receipt of formal notification or becoming aware of a private fostering arrangement in accordance with the current procedure: See Private Fostering.
• The child and carer must be visited within 7 days to ensure the child's immediate welfare and safety and set in process the arrangements for checks regarding the suitability of the arrangement. If the child is already allocated to a social worker, responsibility for completing the private fostering assessment rests with the district team that is already involved. If not; the child will transfer without delay to the relevant Support and Protect Team who is on duty.

Access to the Children with Disabilities Team is via the multi-agency CCASS based on eligible criteria. The CWD team will undertake all child and family assessments for children who fall within the eligibility criteria for their service inclusive of those at risk of significant harm. If the outcome of the assessment identifies that the needs of the child meet the CWD eligibility criteria a worker will be allocated to complete a child in need plan and this will be reviewed in line with CWD procedures.

Children with disabilities teams are case holders for children with disabilities who are accommodated under section 20, Section 20 short breaks and children who are looked after by way of overarching care proceedings and interim/final Orders.

If the child needs to remain open to any district team due to Child Protection or other concerns the allocated worker will be from those teams, and the Adoption Support Service will, if appropriate, be provided by an “involved” worker from the Adoption Support Team.

If the Child Protection concerns become apparent to the Adoption Support Team then the Adoption Support Team Manager will consult with the Team Manager for the Support and Protect Team. If required the Support and Protect Team will allocate a social worker who will take the lead on these issues and the Adoption Support Team Worker will remain 'involved' to provide support/guidance on the Adoption Support issues and continuity for the child/family.

When any team propose to cease their involvement where the Adoption Support Team are involved there must be consultation with the Team Manager for Adoption Support about this issue and the proposal that the worker from the Adoption Support team becomes the allocated worker.

Access to Records / Subject Access Requests

This is outlined in the Access to Records / Subject Access Requests Procedure.

Disagreement resolution

In all circumstances the relevant Team Manager should resolve any dispute between themselves or their team members.

Team Managers are responsible for ensuring their staff complete records prior to transfer, but this should not delay transfer between teams as drift is not acceptable.

In the event of serious disputes that cannot be resolved, despite clear discussions about the child's need and relevant professional judgements, then the Team Manager should discuss options for resolution with their respective Service Manager.

Appendix 1: Checklist for Managers and Workers When Handover is Necessary or Unavoidable